Tree peonies

So, you ask, what exactly is a tree peony? First, it's not a tree; it's a shrub. Think of it more like a hydrangea, or a large, deciduous azalea, because with very few exceptions, tree peonies rarely exceed 8 feet. They are often as wide as they are tall, with statuesque, branching habits and large, deeply cut leaves.

From a distance, their celebrated flowers are as showy as a rhododendron's and close up, as fragile as a rose, with staggering blossoms as large as a salad plate. The flowers are reminiscent of the popular, herbaceous peony, but larger, more complex, often deeply fragrant, and far more dramatically displayed.

The plant's size and shape brings a formidable presence to the garden even after the flowers are gone. Unlike an herbaceous peony, the tree peony does not die back to the ground.

Impressive credentials. So why don't more of us grow these plants? First, the popularity of the herbaceous peony seems to have eclipsed the genus.

Second, tree peonies are not exactly pass-along plants. You can't cut off a piece and give one to your neighbor to try. They grow very slowly and are slow to establish. In fact, tree peonies take as many as six or seven years before really coming into their own.

Finally, good tree peonies are expensive, and cheap ones are dead within four or five years.

The problem isn't that tree peonies die young. An established tree peony can easily outlive a human being. The problem is in the way good vs. cheap tree peonies are grown.

When you buy a tree peony from a reputable grower, you are getting at least a 3-year-old plant on its own roots whose hefty price reflects a lot of care.

But when large retailers sell tree peonies in bulk, they often are passing on what their wholesaler delivered without any so-called after-care: 1-year-old plants bound to a grafted herbaceous peony's roots. And if you're not paying attention and removing unwanted herbaceous peony foliage, the tree peony can die.

Assuming the grower has done a good job, tree peonies are pretty easy to grow in the garden. Here in the Northwest, they need full sun, very good drainage and ideally, protection from wind. They are unfazed by cold, and while they are easily transplanted, a big rootball needs to go along for the ride.

-- HGNW staff

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